Grant County nurse charged with unprofessional conduct
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
A nurse residing in Grant County and working at Colonial Vista Post-Acute and Rehabilitation in Wenatchee has been charged with mismanagement of drugs such as oxycodone, pictured.
DEA PHOTO
WENATCHEE — Candace Anne Stephens, a nurse living in Grant County has been charged with unprofessional conduct after she allegedly removed drugs from her workplace but did not document what she did with them.
Stephens was working at Colonial Vista Post-Acute and Rehabilitation in Wenatchee at the time the alleged incidents occurred, according to a statement of charges from the Washington Department of Health. Stephens was charged with unprofessional conduct in December. Her nursing credentials expired in March 2024, but she can apply for late renewal, the statement said.
The charges alleged that in June 2023 Stephens took oxycodone tablets that were ordered for patients, but did not document that it was given to patients or thrown away. Stephens was administering oxycodone to six patients, the DOH statement said.
Doctors had ordered that one patient, designated as Patient A, should get oxycodone every six hours. Stephens allegedly took out oxycodone tablets more frequently than that, on one occasion taking a tablet out at 11 p.m. and then another about an hour later, the DOH statement said.
“Respondent failed to document administration or waste of this tablet,” the statement said.
Stephens allegedly failed to document what happened to tablets that were supposed to be administered to the other five patients, all during a period of about three weeks. In some cases, she allegedly documented administering medication, but not until later, as in the case of Patient A.
“Respondent removed one oxycodone 5 mg tablet from a bubble pack of medication. Respondent failed to document administration or waste of this dose at the time she pulled the medication,” the DOH statement said. “Respondent documented administration of a dose approximately 18 hours after removing it from the narcotic bubble pack.”
A patient designated Patient F also was supposed to receive medication, and Stephens allegedly documented getting medication for the person.
“Respondent documented administration of this dose approximately an hour and 10 minutes after removing it from the bubble pack,” according to DOH.
Department of Health investigators contacted Stephens in December 2023.
“To date, Respondent has not responded to the Board’s investigation of the above-mentioned conduct,” the release said.
Health care providers charged with unprofessional conduct have up to 20 days to respond to charges, according to the DOH website.
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